Brown: Depth & Stability
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day one hundred and three: COLORS #10 Puck considers his friendship with Finn after they're torn apart, starting at the beginning.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a second cycle, and then a third and fourth cycle. Now here comes cycle 5!_

_Found this list I had a while back, of colors and connotations, and I decided to make a series around it! So...  
**Colors of Glee: 10 of 12:** Brown: Depth & Stability_

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**"Brown: Depth & Stability"  
Puck & Finn**

Deep down he'd known he was crossing a line he shouldn't have… But that had not been on his mind that afternoon… the girl he'd taken into his arms was not 'his best friend's girlfriend,' she was just Quinn… Quinn who, at the time, had not meant as much to him as she would in later months. In no instance had he done this with the intent to hurt Finn.

He'd been friends with Finn for years. That friendship had changed over the years, while they'd both grown. But at the core there was still the thing that had brought them together, so it didn't matter that he liked moms and the tossing of slushies and geeks, and Finn… didn't. Despite any differences, they were friends, and that was that.

He should have been more careful, that was another thing he knew. He'd done a poor job of showing that Finn mattered… more so than he'd admit.

He was different… once. He wasn't always 'Puck,' but he was Noah… He had a mother, a father, and a baby sister. His parents would fight… sometimes… but it was alright, because in the end, they were there and things would be normal again…

Looking back, he'd wonder if it wasn't how he remembered it, if in his mind… just a child… things were cleaner than they actually were. What was for certain was that the illusions had been ripped apart the day he came off the school bus and his mother wasn't out front with his sister, welcoming him. He went in, finding his sister crying in her playpen, and hearing shouts and breaking plates in the kitchen.

He'd picked up his sister before following the noise. He walked into the kitchen to find his mother making quick work of breaking through the dishes she'd just finished cleaning earlier.

"Mom!" he called out to get her attention. She looked over and stopped. "What are you doing?" he looked down at all the broken dishes. "What's going on?"

And then she'd told him… he was gone; his father had packed up and left, and he wasn't coming back. He hadn't believed it, so his mother had sent him to see for himself. His sister had calmed, and he put her back in the pen before going over to his 'office,' which was where he kept his prized guitar. He kept it on the wall; he never played that one.

The guitar was gone, so were a few other things… He knew it was true then. His father was gone.

He hadn't said anything. No reason, no apologies, no goodbyes.

The next day at school, he'd kept his head down… He didn't want anyone to know and start teasing him… but his mother got ahead of him. She'd called his teacher. When he got to class, she'd pulled him aside.

By lunch time, it was everywhere. No one decent knew what to say, and everyone else had nothing good. It was fine by him. He sat on his own, eating the lunch his mother had packed him.

When someone sat across from him, he barely turned his eyes up to see who it was before he looked back down. He knew the other boy by face, mostly. The only thing he knew about him was his name… Finn… something. He didn't speak. And then Finn did.

"I'll trade you my cookies for your pudding cup." Noah was surprised, so he made the trade. "My mother made them, they're really good."

"Don't you want them then?" Noah looked to Finn, finally speaking.

"I think you need them more than I do," Finn spoke, keeping the pudding cup at his side while he unwrapped his sandwich. Noah seemed reluctant to accept the cookies now. "I don't have a dad," Finn spoke before taking a bite of his sandwich. Noah stopped fidgeting with the cookies. "He died, years ago."

"Oh," Noah replied as best he could. He could see the bond he was trying to bring up… neither of them had fathers now. Finn didn't miss a beat.

"You want to come over to my house after school?"

"I have to go back home to take care of my sister," he explained. Finn nodded understandingly. Noah looked at Finn, down to the cookies… "You want to come over?" Finn looked over, and he nodded.

It hadn't taken much, but it had built up the base for their friendship. They had each other's back.

But then Finn had joined Glee Club, and things had started to change. He still valued his friendship, more than they would say. After he had been revealed as having been with Quinn, fathering the baby Finn had thought was his, Finn had effectively severed ties with him… he could understand. He'd probably have done the same.

When Finn had shown up to Sectionals, Puck had made the decision, to offer up a hand, to try and salvage something of their friendship. He knew it was a lot to ask, but he had to do it, give it a shot.

He'd been turned away… he wasn't too surprised. He would wait. He'd leave Finn time to adjust, and maybe he'd be able to let him back in as a friend.

THE END


End file.
